COMMENTS:Small resident population of 295 people. Near Gainesville and Lake City. REMAINS: Many Abandoned Cracker Homes, General Stores, Lulu School, and the Gillen Family Cemetery.

Lulu began when the Georgia Southern Florida Railroad
came through the area and Robert Gillen, an original 1869 settler, convinced
them to put a station there. The town was first named Hagen but mail got
confused with another ghost town in Alachua County called Hague. Walter
Gillen was the possible Postmaster renamed the town Lulu after his girlfriend
Lula. There was two cotton gins, railroad depot, a one room school, three
churches, and seven different stores (from 1900 until 1918) and two barber
shops. The citizens of Lulu had hoped that their community would become
a thriving town but the boll weevil came and destroyed the cotton business.
The depression did a lot of damage of course and reforestation ended the
free roam of the range land for livestock. The town currently is just
a community of proud residents who have now lost their only general store
and post office. Submitted by: Mike Woodfin

Also has a Slave Cemetary located approximately 1/4 mile east down hwy
100 on the north side of the road (east of the now demolished general
store). This cemetary is for Slaves and decendents of Slaves. The last
burial was approx 3 years ago. The funeral was quite an event as the community
carried his casket from his house (approximately 4 miles south of LuLu
on CR241) all through the streets of the community so Joe could see LuLu
one last time. The upkeep of the cemetary was his labor of love. This
cemetary is now maintained by the local community of LuLu. By the way,
we own one of the LuLu houses shown. # 7th from the top. My mother-in-law
grew up in it, one of 14 children. This house was built by her father,
Thie Pierce, after the one built by her grand father burned down approx
1/8 mile further into the property. This is her family homestead. The
barn located #5 from the top is owned by my husband's Uncle and is on
land originally owned by my husband's late grandfather (Croft). I believe
house #3 from the top belonged to my late-father-in-law's grandmother
when he was growing up and until her death. The owner of house #4 hired
my brother-in-law (Croft) to shore up this house and do minor preservation
work about 6 years ago to prevent it from falling down. Kim Croft

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Originally built in 1904 as a dance hall byTheodore "Thee" Pearce, cotton farmer, but was completed as a residence.
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

"Thee's" General Store. It operated until 1948.
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Abandoned Lulu General Store and Post Office
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Lulu School
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Sign marking the old slave cemetery in Lulu, on the North side of the Highway, just entering town. photo courtesy Mike Woodfin